The digital world is becoming increasingly unsafe for children and young people. Data from the past year, has prompted child protection organisations to sound an alarm for 2023 as a ‘record year’ for child sexual abuse reports with analysts finding more child sexual imagery than any year previously – more than 275,000 reports -up 8% from the previous year.
New trends emerge, such as financial sexual extortion, while threats like online grooming and child ‘self-generated’ sexual material continue to grow. Additionally, new emerging technologies like generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (ER) pose new risks for the safety of children online.
To combat the growing threats in the digital space, Safe Online launched a global call for proposals in 2023. After a rigorous and thorough selection process, 23 grantees have been selected to receive USD 10 million. The new investment grows Safe Online’s investment portfolio to USD 100 million across 106 projects with impact in 100 countries and accelerates Safe Online’s globally important role as a catalyst for new solutions to combat digital harms.
The investment award projects under a ‘whole system’ approach by supporting work across multiple sectors to achieve maximum impact.
Grantees have been awarded under three different pillars:
Networks and Systems: Projects will strengthen systems, key infrastructure and services and create incentives for action through changing norms, policies and advanced regulation.
Research and data: Projects will create and promote a global evidence base to support the ecosystem, increase alignments of efforts, and maximise their impact.
Technology Tools: Projects will reduce barriers to access to cutting-edge technologies in the online safety space and promote tools that are shareable, adaptable and create efficiencies in online CSEA prevention and response efforts at all levels.
Our grantees Save the Children Denmark Tackling Online Sexual Exploitation Through a National Action Plan Countries involved:Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, Internet connectivity has skyrocketed: over the past 10 years, the country has seen a 600 per cent increase in connections, representing more than 25 million mobile phones. Though rates
Our grantees University of Kent Understanding and improving help seeking by people at risk of online child sexual exploitation and abuse Countries involved:United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology at the University of Kent is a group of leading psychologists working
Safe Online believes that a better internet is where all children and young people can safely enjoy all the benefits the online world has to offer. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need to make sure that this becomes a reality.
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We are here to ensure every child and young person grows in to the digital world feeling safe, and is protected from harm.
We support, champion, and invest in innovative partners from the public, private, and third sectors working towards the same objective.
We believe in equipping guardians and young people with the skills to understand and see danger themselves once accessing digital experiences without supervision.
In 2024, Safe Online invested nearly USD16M in over 50 innovative projects, tackled digital harms, and expanded research into Gen AI and child safety.
